Hi all. In the spirit of (American) Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I decided to throw a list together about all the things I’m thankful for, travel related as well as other things. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

-Having parents who’ve supported me. That has to be the biggest thing-they’ve had faith in me to grow as a person. Without them, nothing would have been possible.

-Being able to see a decent chunk of the world by my first 20 years. I’m just grateful for having the opportunity to go via school trips or by the grace of my mom and dad.

-Being exposed to other cultures and learning from them. In this day and age, the exposure to different cultures and societies is how we can get closer and closer to an overall world understanding. Just being able to see how other people across the world lives is awe inspiring. I honestly can say that I’ve learned a ton from travel, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-Meeting new people. This isn’t solely limited to the people I’ve met during my travels, but ones that I’ve met here in America and at school. One of my closer friends I’ve met due to a random encounter on one of our excursions from my cruise over the summer; I honestly don’t know how I could fill in that gap in my life had I not met her. Never underestimate the quality of people that you will encounter-some of the best people I’ve met was due to happenstance. I’m proud to say that they have thoroughly enriched my life, and I am a better person because of that.

-The people I know. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but you guys are what makes getting up every day worthwhile. Having people who are great to talk to and are fun to be around is one of life’s greatest joys.

-The sights I’ve seen and the sounds I’ve listened to. While there are sights you can see in books and online (i.e., the Brandenburg Gate, waterfalls in Iceland, etc.), they don’t do them justice when you see them in person. To me, there’s nothing better than soaking up the sights and sounds-I’m just grateful that I have been afforded the chance to experience them.